Ginger the poodle was brought to the Denton Animal Shelter with overgrown hair and nails.

Update at 5:43 p.m. Monday: The Humane Society of Flower Mound has identified a foster who could end up taking Ginger on a long-term basis, said Stacy Smith, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit pet rescue group. Smith said Ginger won’t be released from the foster program until “all medical issues are resolved,” which could take about a month. Meanwhile, Denton police spokesman Ryan Grelle said no charges have been recommended against Ginger’s previous owner as of Monday.

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Her overgrown matted hair has been sheared. Her nails are clipped and no longer growing into the pads of her feet. Today, Ginger, the 14-year-old apricot poodle whose condition was brought to attention on Facebook, has a temporary home but newfound hope.

Courtesy of the Humane Society of Flower Mound.

Ginger after being groomed.

Ginger was found Wednesday in a Denton apartment, her coat of hair so overgrown that she was barely recognizable as a poodle. The Denton Animal Shelter posted photos of Ginger on its Facebook page the same afternoon, saying the dog was surrendered by her owner after it was found in “hoarding conditions.”

The shelter provided updates as it cleaned up the 4- to 5-pound poodle, which had the “worst hair situation” that kennel supervisor Gayla Nelsen had ever seen.

“The dog had never been outside. It had never been groomed,” Nelsen said.

The animal shelter staff immediately went to work on Ginger when she was brought in Wednesday and her photos were posted. By Saturday morning, the Facebook post had been shared nearly 500 times and drawn more than 100 comments, mostly outrage at how anyone could have grossly neglected the dog.

Ginger’s hair was so matted and “nitted” that hair was growing into her mouth and connected to ear and foot, Nelsen said.

When Ginger was groomed, she was excited, “sniffing and greeting everyone,” Nelsen said. “It was like a bird out of a cage.”

“Anytime people see a pet in that condition, it really touches a lot of people’s hearts,” said Stacy Smith of the Humane Society of Flower Mound. “It’s very emotional and people have been very supportive and interested in helping.”